Banning girls soccer coach Roman Aja had to readjust his hopes during his team’s 2-0 loss to Riverside Notre Dame on Tuesday.
The Broncos (5-5-4) had defeated Notre Dame twice during a third place effort at Notre Dame’s Winter Classic Tournament almost a month ago.
But in this loss, the Broncos were hesitant and seemed intimidated by the visiting Titans.
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“This was the third time we played this team; we beat them twice,” Roman said. “I figure today, it being our league opener, I was expecting more. But that happens. That’s soccer.”
The defeat shouldn’t do much to wreck what the Broncos have already done this season. The Broncos have won five games – that equals the amount of games they won during the previous four seasons.
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The Broncos are 2-4-2 at home – a win at home on Tuesday would have surpassed the number of home wins for the Broncos during the past four seasons as well.
Another record-setting moment awaits the Broncos. A Mountain Valley League win this season would be their first league victory in four years.
“This year is an improvement, but we are still a young team,” Roman said. “We’ll get better. Next year we will have some returning players.”
One of the more experienced players, Sarena Lapham, hopes the team doesn’t focus on the milestones.
“To me it shouldn’t be a big deal; we just need to keep playing our game,” Lapham said. “It doesn’t matter what our record is. It matters how we play on the field. If we play hard enough, we will keep winning or tying. As long as we don’t lose.”
Up next for the Broncos is a tough two-game road trip. They play at Citrus Valley and Rim of the World – a pair of good soccer programs.
“Those are two very hard games,” Roman said. “If we get through those two games, we should be okay.”
Notre Dame took a 1-0 lead in the first half and capped the win with a goal in the second half.
Banning had a handful of scoring opportunities; including a shot by Sylvia Aguilar that flew inches over the cross bar late in the second half.
“The game could have gone either way,” Roman said. “We had our opportunities but didn’t put the ball in the goal. We had our shots. They had a few opportunities but they put their goals in.”
